IMHO the Survivor stock is the most versatile stock available for a Handi.
The thing I like about the Survivor is that you can easily add or remove weight. When bench shooting my 30-06 or 270, I add about 6 pounds of BBs to the butt stock. I imagine a 12 pound 45-70 would feel pretty nice compared to a 7 pound one. When hunting, I remove the weight and then have a nice light carry gun. I never feel the recoil when shooting at game anyway.
I also agree with quick about the Limbsaver. I use one and love it. 8)
I just recently made a BB bag out of old denim. The bag weighs 4.5 lbs and slides in to the storage area easily. This makes adding and removing the weight super simple and fast. ;D
As for the recoil comparison, here is what I found at chuckhawks.com
Cartridge (
[email protected]) Rifle Weight Recoil energy Recoil velocity
.30-30 Win. (150 at 2400) 7.5 10.6 9.5
.45-70 (300 at 1800) 7 23.9 14.8
As you would imagine, it looks like the 45-70 kicks more than twice as hard as the 30-30. Not only 2x harder, but also with a 50% more snap.
Hope this helps,
RW